Fifty Shades of Gennin

Hinata sat with her legs curled beneath her, resting atop a large rock amid immaculately-raked white sand. The branches of squat trees provided some shade, but still allowed the sun's warmth to reach her. A paper was balanced on her knee, and upon that were characters written in black ink.

Almost absently, Hinata sprinkled sand she scooped up from the garden onto the paper. The pale grains collected in a small pile. A burst of chakra later, every single one disappeared. A second burst and the sand was back.

Hinata giggled.

As the quiet-yet-audible sound of running footsteps reached her, she looked up. A branch Hyuuga she didn't recognize hurried past. Only a matter of seconds later, another went past going the opposite direction, also running.

These were not the first ones Hinata had seen. That probably should have worried her; it was almost unheard of to run inside the compound. She resolved to go and discover what the matter was… after she checked one more time that her storage seal was working properly.

It was a new array, only the second one she had worked on since Fox's lesson. The masked shinobi had done the impossible— he really explained seals in a way that even Hinata could understand!

Not that everything was perfect. Now, everytime she worked on sealing, it was all Hinata could do to keep a raging blush from taking over her face. 

She gathered sand from beside her, adding it to what was on the page. The bolstered pile disappeared as easily as it had earlier. Hinata was just unsealing it, relishing the burgeoning feeling of victory in her gut (and wondering if it would be irresponsible to repeat the process one more time) when a shadow fell over her.

She looked up into the pupilless eyes of Neji Hyuuga.

"Cousin," she said.

"What are you doing outside, Hinata?"

There was no emotion in his voice. Hinata looked him over, her eyes flickering rapidly to assess him in less than a second. On the surface he seemed calm, and composed, but that was only because he always looked that way. The left sleeve of his flowing white shirt was pushed up almost to his elbow. The collar was ruffled. His long fingers had specks of dirt stuck to them.

"Studying," Hinata said. "But, cousin, forget about that. What has happened?"

Neji spent a moment looking down at the paper in her lap before he answered.

"There was a spy," he said.

One of Hinata's eyebrows climbed. "Here? Outside the compound?"

"Inside of it."

Hinata's second eyebrow joined the first. "Have they been caught?

Neji's lips twitched. "They were exactly far enough inside the walls to avoid gate guard's Byakugan. There was a three foot gap between what those guards could see, and what those deeper into the compound were keeping watch on. The intruder knew what they were doing."

"And you caught them," Hinata said.

It only made sense. His appearance wouldn't have become so disheveled (by his standards) simply from spreading news about the intruder.

"I discovered them," Neji confirmed. "However, I was unable to catch them. When they noticed me approaching, they tunneled into the earth and escaped."

"An earth technique?"

"An earth technique," he confirmed.

Both of them went silent. While Kumo would remain an enemy of the Hyuuga for a very long time, there was another village their clan feared even more. Iwa was the greatest threat.

The reason was simple. Kumo was a powerful village, and they could be trusted to do only what they believed would solidify their position.

By contrast, Iwa had been hit hard in recent times. They lost a humongous force in the war to the Fourth Hokage alone. Then, years later, they lost their Tsuchikage as a casualty of the battle with the Akatsuki. A plan proposed by Konoha's leader.

They were weak enough to be desperate, and their hatred for Konoha ran deep enough to make them reckless. One of Konoha's most treasured Kekkei Genkai was exactly the kind of resource they would do anything to snatch away.

"You should take shelter," Neji instructed her. "We do not know what is afoot, nor if the danger has passed."

Hinata thought that was a bit paranoid. She doubted a single scout would act alone, especially in the wake of being exposed. But considering her past, she was the last person who would argue in favor of taking such a risk, and Neji was the last person she would argue it to.

She gathered her seals, brushing off the sand to return it to the garden, then folded them and tucked them beneath her arm. Neji watched her in silence. She thought he would remain that way, but as she walked away his voice stopped her.

"Do not entertain ideas," he said.

When she looked back at him, his eyes were locked on one place— the paper under her arm.

"What's the harm in ideas?" Hinata asked. "If you ask me, you're the one who could do with a bit more of them."

Neji stiffened. Hinata walked away, forcing herself to keep her steps even.

Why had she said that? It just slipped out. She was spending too much time around a certain blond practicing seals, if she was making such mistakes.

Even if she oughtn't to have said it out loud, though, she stood by her words. Neji Hyuuga was her father's bodyguard, would be her sister's bodyguard in due time, and that was all he would ever be with the way his life was going. Just one more branch member— gossiped about more than the rest due to his skills, but stuck as an accessory to his seal-less relatives. A permanent shadow, who refused to even try to shine on his own.

Yet who was it that spotted a well-placed intruder, when every other Hyuuga looked straight past?

Hinata thought it was a shame, that was all. Just one more shame for the clan to bear like a mark of pride.

O-O-O

The following day, Hinata found herself walking the busy streets of Konoha. It was the part of town where the buildings were tallest and most merchants pitched stalls beside the road, hawking their wares relentlessly. If Hokage Tower and Administrative Buildings were the brains of the village, this was the chest cavity.

Hinata didn't like it much. And thankfully, she hardly had ever had a reason to visit. Most of this area was residential, with just enough businesses mixed in between the apartment buildings to service the citizens living here. Hinata found navigating the crowded streets to be a pain, and had a habit of ending up lost. It wasn't her fault half the buildings looked the same.

But, on this occasion, she came with a guide.

"See that building? That one right there, that's all red?" Naruto asked, pointing at a towering building with peeling paint.

Hinata nodded. "I do. Do you know someone that lives there?"

"Nah," Naruto said. "I just thought the color was ugly. Wanna laugh at them as we walk past?"

"No," Hinata informed him.

"Bummer."

Where Hinata felt like a fish on land among these crowds, Naruto moved as if he were still beneath the waves. He sidestepped groups so deftly that Hinata was sure he'd collide with one eventually, but it hadn't happened yet. He periodically pointed out different sights, telling her facts about a building or sharing random thoughts as useless as the one about that building's color.

"You know this area well," Hinata observed, mostly to divert his rant about how the shopkeeper they passed a block back had given him a dirty look seven months ago.

Naruto shrugged. "I've been coming here since I couldn't walk. I guess you learn a few things after spending that long in a place."

"And why are we here?" Hinata prompted. "I thought you were supposed to be teaching me seals."

She jumped as Naruto whirled, invading her personal space faster than she could blink.

"Look at you, missing seals already. I told you you'd get addicted! Soon you'll be wanting to do them when you're going to bed, when you're eating, when you're on the toilet…"

"It was just a question!" Hinata protested, looking away.

There was no chance she would ever tell him how many times she activated the simple sealing array he taught her, long after she knew it was working properly, just for the sense of hard-won accomplishment. His ego was far too big already.

"I'm onto you," Naruto told her. "I know you're coming around. Anyway, I totally said I'd teach you seals, and I am! But this deal was originally about how I live, right? And there's more to that than seals. Not a whole lot more — mostly just ramen — but there is more. I figured we'd take a break today and I'd introduce you to some cool people."

"Naruto!"

As if summoned, a waving hand appeared above the crowd. A moment later the owner got close enough for Hinata to see. It was a remarkably pretty girl, somewhat familiar to her, with pink hair that barely reached the base of her neck. A small purple diamond stood out on her forehead. She wore a red dress that hung partway down her legs, with athletic pants underneath. When she stopped in front of them, her eyes went right to Hinata.

"Huh," she said. "Another one."

"Greetings," Hinata said, bowing her head and wondering just how often Naruto was discovered in the company of a random new girl. A certain diary definitely left her with some idea.

The pink-haired girl waved a hand dismissively when she saw Hinata lower her head. She had a basket in her left hand, giving off the scent of something freshly baked.

"Don't bother with that kind of stuff," she said. "We look about the same age." She looked closer. "In fact, aren't you…"

"Hinata Hyuuga," Hinata introduced herself. "We went to the academy together."

Sakura Haruno's eyes widened. "I knew you looked familiar! You were in our class, graduated and everything, and then it was like you fell off the face of the earth!"

"My clan is quite particular about how we are trained," Hinata said, which was a short way of saying she lost her position to her sister and was recognized to be a liability, being pulled from her Genin team for private tutoring soon after. "We did not have the chance to interact much."

The way that Sakura smiled made Hinata think that she was used to dealing with the public in some way. "So how have you been?"

"Well," Hinata offered as a perfectly vague answer. 

"Follow-up question," Sakura said. "What are you doing with this idiot?"

She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at Naruto, as if looking at him would be too trying. 

"She's supposed to marry me!" Naruto said.

"Ha ha," Sakura told him. "So what are you really up to?"

When she didn't get an answer, she looked at Naruto. She looked back at Hinata. Then she looked at Naruto again.

Finally, she leaned toward Hinata.

"Whatever he's threatening you with," she whispered, "if we jump him together, we probably won't get caught."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I heard that. And you definitely would get caught. You think my mom would let someone get away with that?"

"Kushina's reasonable," Sakura said. "I'm sure she'd understand."

Naruto jammed his hands in his pockets and walked ahead of them, grumbling something uncharitable about girls and unfair fights.

To Hinata's slight surprise, Sakura walked with them. The newly-formed trio arrived at a home truly out of place between all the multi-story buildings. Sitting behind an arching gate, a community had been carved out, multiple homes spaced around an open area with trees and grass. A single guard was posted by the entrance, wearing the typical vest of an Uchiha Police officer.

Naruto and Sakura walked inside with the confidence of longtime visitors. Hinata followed them.

She couldn't say she'd been here before, but she at least knew of it. While the Uchiha lacked a centralized compound in the way that the Hyuuga had, more of their members spaced freely around the village, this was the closest thing they had to a base. It was the home of the clan leader.

"What are we doing here?" Hinata asked Naruto quietly.

"Lunch!" he said.

"You've brought me to Uchiha Fugaku's home… for lunch?"

"Yep!" he said. "They have really good gyoza!"

"We aren't actually going to Fugaku's house," Sakura said. "That's that one." She pointed at the tallest of the buildings, painted black with red shutters in the colors of the Uchiha. "We're going to that one."

And here she pointed to a much smaller house, tucked into the back corner, with nothing spectacular about it.

"Who lives there?" Hinata asked.

"Fugaku's son," said Sakura. "This idiot's best friend… and my boyfriend."

Naruto had reached the door. Without hesitation, he banged his fist against it. "Get out here already, slowpoke! It's time to feed me!"

The house stayed as silent as if it were abandoned. Behind Naruto, Sakura leaned over to Hinata again.

"I'd bet a month's pay that he's right next to the door," she whispered. "He just wants to make Naruto wait."

Hinata activated her Byakugan. She looked directly through the solid wall, and sure enough, she spotted a figure directly on the opposite side, standing there and waiting.

"You're actually right," Hinata said.

Sakura cracked up. Still laughing, she strode up to the door, shoving Naruto aside.

"I'm here too!" she said. "Let me in at least!"

The door opened right away.

"Come on!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke Uchiha was a tall man with spiked hair that was permanently askew. He was good looking, too, something that created a constant flow of gossip surrounding him. He'd been one of the two most popular boys back in their academy days. The other one was currently standing right on his doorstep, flipping him off.

"Is that how you greet your host?" Sasuke asked.

"Is that how you greet your host?" Naruto mimicked in a stupid, high-pitched voice.

Deeming that too unintelligent for even a simple response, Sasuke turned away from him.

He took the basket Sakura had been carrying, even offering her a brief smile. Next, he looked at Hinata.

"Hinata Hyuuga," he greeted.

She dipped her head. "You seem to be doing well."

"And you seem to be keeping new company." Sasuke stepped aside, offering them a path into his home. "I assume I'll be told why you were dragged along shortly."

As he marched past Sasuke (still flipping him off) Naruto gave him an incredulous look.

"You two know each other?"

"We've met," said Sasuke.

"Clan heirs have certain obligations that other children do not," Hinata said. "That includes knowing other heirs."

"But I thought you weren't the Hyuuga heir," Naruto said.

"I'm not. But I was once."

There was a moment where no one spoke. Sakura quickly clapped, saying, "Okay, guys, let's eat!"

She all but pushed Hinata into a seat by the dining room table. The others sat down too. It was only now, by asking Sakura, that Hinata finally learned what this was.

Once a week, the three of them, who had been friends since their time in the academy, got together for lunch. Sometimes it was at Sasuke's house, sometimes it was at Sakura's, and sometimes it was at Ichiraku's.

"That's basically Naruto's house, with how much time he spends there," Sakura explained with a shrug. "And I don't even want to see what his cooking looks like."

In return, Hinata explained how their engagement came about. It looked like Sakura wanted to say something when Hinata described the benefits for her clan as the reasons she was interested, but Sasuke laid a hand on her arm.

"I'm sure your clan is proud of your upstanding actions," Sasuke said to Hinata.

"Why are you talking like that?" Naruto asked, giving the whole table a view of the dumplings stuffed in his cheeks.

"I don't know what you're referring to, Namikaze-san," Sasuke said. "I was merely reaffirming the Hyuuga representative's actions, and how well they shine on her character. Konoha will only benefit from such forthrightness."

Hinata silently stifled a laugh, a skill she mastered a long time ago. Naruto was looking at Sasuke like he'd gone insane, but she recognized what he was doing. He'd begun speaking in the overly-polite language all heirs had to learn. The same kind you heard at the political get-together they both frequented as kids.

"I thank you for your words, Uchiha-san. Truly you have picked them well. I will carry your intent with me for a long time."

"You do me great honor with your consideration."

"And your feeling of honor gifts me a great sense of pride in return."

"Stop that!" Naruto complained, having lifted his glass and chugged water to clear out his mouth, just so he could shout at them more easily.

"Namikaze-san can be quite uncouth, can he not?" Sasuke said, still looking directly at Hinata.

"His willingness to offer his opinion is, indeed, boundless," Hinata said.

"His volume knows no match."

"I have never met a man so adept in the employ of his vocal chords."

"I admire his confidence greatly."

"I as well. It isn't easy to talk so bravely—"

"While knowing so little," they finished in unison, ending Hinata's sentence in perfect sync. A moment later both of them lost composure, failing to keep their expressions neutral. Snickers leaked out as they smiled at one another.

"Sakura!" Naruto complained.

The only one still eating peacefully, Sakura looked up from her meal. "What?"

"Your boyfriend is having a moment with my fiancé."

"Well, what do you want me to do about that?"

"Make them stop!"

"No," Sakura said. "It looks like they're having fun."

"Namikaze-san seems to be upset."

"If we've done something to cause offense, I dearly hope he can find it in him to forgive us."

Naruto groaned, pressing his hands to his ears and laying his head on the table.